Our Pumpkin Ale blends the spices of the harvest with full-bodied sweetness for a beer that tastes like pumpkin pie. Pounds of pumpkin form a malty foundation that supports the fall flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove.

While pumpkin beers were produced in the early days of the American colonies, they were different from the pumpkin beers we know today. Colonists used pumpkin and squash as the fermenting medium, since malted barley was scarce. Once malt became more readily available, it replaced these alternatives to grain. In the 1990’s, American craft brewers reintroduced the style to the delight of pumpkin beer drinkers.

Reviews by WorldWideStout:

A: A bit of a darker, more red body than most pumpkin brews. Translucent with many streams of small bubbles making their way to the top. One finger head that disappeared pretty quickly. A bit of legs.

S: Terrific. Pumpkin pie filling, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.

T: Starts off with the cinnamon and some vanilla. The pumpkin pie filling taste comes in the middle, though it's never dominant. More vanilla and nutmeg come out towards the end. The aftertaste is the most potent of any pumpkin beer I've tried; a pleasant cinnamon and a hint of pumpkin that often linger for over thirty seconds in the mouth.

M: It's very carbonated, almost too much so, for the first second, but the bubbles then back off without disappearing. Besides that first moment, the body is light and creamy and quite appropriate.

D: As this is fairly complex and flavorful, I probably wouldn't have a ton of these in one night, but I could easily put down and thoroughly enjoy a second one.

I recently had a pumpkin beer tasting with 20 different beers, and this was my favorite. Pumking is good in its own way, but I really don't think it's even on the same level as this one. A real treat to drink, and the pumpkin beer by which all other pumpkin beers should be judged. (1,256 characters)

BODY: Deep copper auburn of average vibrance. No yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible.

Appealing for a pumpkin ale, but not exemplary. I've seen better. Appears aptly carbonated.

AROMA: Rich pumpkin gourd, copper malts, and a subtle spice profile redolent of nutmeg, clove, allspice, and to a lesser extent cinnamon and brown sugar. The expressiveness of the pumpkin is fantastic.

I find no hop profile, yeast character, or alcohol.

Aromatic intensity is average. Suggests a pumpkin ale with impressive nuance and subtlety. I'm craving the first sip.

TASTE: Has an evocative pumpkin gourd at its core - which is the obvious feature that is so often absent from beers in this style. Huge props to Schalfy for accomplishing the simple feat of evoking pumpkin in a pumpkin ale. The subtle spice profile plays off the pumpkin beautifully, with notes of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and clove setting off the gourd and pumpkin skin. It's gorgeously balanced, with a nice interplay of spice, sugars (some seemingly brown), and caramel.

Neither too sweet nor too bitter. Well-built. Nicely executed.

No overt hop profile, yeast, alcohol, or of-notes.

Boasts ample nuance and intricacy. The subtlety of the spices and the brown sugars is marvelous. I quite like this.

Complements the taste nicely, but there's no harmony of texture to taste. Overall presence on the palate is superb.

OVERALL: Highly drinkable. Easily one of the better pumpkin ales I've had in recent memory. This is an excellent go-to pumpkin ale on par with some of the best currently brewed in the country, yet still I can envision one which is better. In any case, it's gestalt - and that's impressive. Well-worth trying, or even seeking out. Excellent work from Schlafly. Hat-tip to the cats brewing over there.

Thank you Schalfly for making a worth-while Pumpkin Ale. Rarely does the world get to sample a hearty pumpkin flavor, a very well-made base beer, and spices that contribute to the beer without overpowering. This beer does all this-- doesn't seem too difficult. This beer seems to have a very firm Amber malt toastiness, sweetness, cleanliness, and crispness. The low (but detectable) hop rates make way for the pumpkin and spice variety to shine. The pumpkin delivers a creamy, earthy flavor very similar to fresh-baked pumpkin pie. Mild notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice decorate the beer without bringing undue attention to the frills. A mild buttery flavor also brings the beer into desert-range. This is all evedent in the aromas and flavors. The body remains firm, creamy, and relatively round; allowing the flavors to settle into a mellow finish of creamy-sweet pumpkin and caramel. This is likely the best Pumpkin Ale that I have had. (948 characters)

Bottle: Poured a deep dark cloudy amber color ale with a medium size foamy head with OK retention. Aroma of nutmeg, pumpkin and cinnamon with sweet malt backbone is quite enjoyable. Taste is a nice mix between some nutmeg, cinnamon and pumpkin with lightly sweet malt backbone. All flavours are very well balanced with sweetness offsetting some of the spices so that nothing gets out of hand. Body is quite full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Very well brewed with great level of complexity while retaining good marks for drinkability. (551 characters)

I was able to pick up a twelve pack of this one. I had heard very good things and this was as solid as a pupkin ale as I was gonna get this year. Served cold, this will be my official review after drinking this one for a couple months. Consumed on 01/07/2009.

The pour was classic for the style. Rich light amber in color with a smooth and delicate looking carbonation that bubbled up from the bottom of the glass throughout. A nice touch of white on the top and it settled down lightly into a small broken crown,

The aroma was light, nicely spiced and full of grain. lIght notes of fresh hops bouncing around in here with lots of nutmeg and cinnamon. The flavor was very solid. Light grains, nutmeg, cinnamon, pumkin, and touches of light grass flavors. Really very well done. No hint of alcohol at all. I actually just saw this was 8%, what the hell, I thought it was like four. This was really well done and very sessionable. I had no idea how strong this was.

Overall one of the best, most drinkable pumkin ales I have come across. Not really anything bad to say here. Solid all the way around! (1,101 characters)

A: The beer is slightly hazy amber and orange in color and has no visible carbonation. It poured with a thin beige head that completely faded away, leaving only a thin ring of bubbles on the surface around the edge of the glass.S: There are moderately strong aromas of pumpkins and spices such as nutmeg in the nose.T: The taste is very similar to the smell, except that the pumpkins really stand out in front of the spices.M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.O: This beer is very easy to drink and has no traces whatsoever of alcohol. The taste has a very good balance between pumpkins and spices but much more pumpkin flavors compared to other beers in the style. (711 characters)

A tight, creamy, two-plus finger tall, light tan crown topped the dark orangey-amber liquid. The head dissolved rather quickly and left no lacing whatsoever.

The aroma was pretty mellow initially. Somewhat dry and yeasty. There was a slight steeliness as well. Touch of spice. As the beer warmed, the nose improved dramatically. Pumpkin pie spices were quite apparent. Good amount of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Some malty sweetness appeared as well.

Unlike the nose, the flavor profile had a lot going on from the get-go. Pumpkin pie spice notes dominated. Cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice were most apparent. There was just enough caramel malt sweetness to give the beer a true pumpkin pie flavor but not overwhelm it. Quite rich and full in flavor for the style. The finish contained a hefty dose of cinnamon that lent the beer a mildly "hot" spiciness. Really solid.

Rich and fuller bodied for the style. The liquid contained an ultra fine and frothy, tongue blanketing effervescence. At 8% ABV, the alcohol was barely perceivable.

With its punchy yet balanced flavor profile and fuller bodied mouthfeel, Schlafly's Pumpkin Ale is one of the better examples of the style I have yet to dry. I really hope this brewery distributes to New England sometime soon. (1,369 characters)

Glowing, jack-o-lantern orange with butternut edges. Pumpkin Ale is the perfect color for a pumpkin ale and is darker and richer than most. The three finger cap is palest ecru with a subtle infusion of palest orange. Too bad there's nothing remarkable about it. That, and the fact that there's very little lace, pulls the appearance score down a half notch.

I could smell the spices as soon as the cap was removed. The nose is nicely pumpkin pie-like and complements the base beer--a big amber ale--very well. While cinnamon and nutmeg are easily identified, the mystery spice is still a mystery (see more below). I've smelled better pumpkin ales, but not very damn many.

Given the ABV and the 'Special Release' designation, I was expecting something a little more bold. I'm not complaining though; this is still good beer and is one of the better versions that I can remember drinking. One of the most amazing things is that alcohol is next to absent on the palate.

I love the understated, almost honeyish, sweetness. Whether it's due to pale malt, caramel malt, pumpkin or butternut squash, I couldn't say. There isn't a huge amount of squash flavor, but there is a pretty big spice load. The website lists the spices as cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. The label lists them as cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. My guess: ginger.

The mouthfeel is deserving of big beer status. It's firmer than it is soft, with a pleasing heavy silkiness and a supreme smoothness. A restrained amount of carbonation is the perfect match and keeps pumpkin spicy burps to minimum. Not that I mind pumpkin spicy burps.

I know that early February isn't the most opportune time to be drinking a pumpkin ale, but I figured that an 8.0%'er would hold up well being holed up for a few months. And it has. Schlafly Pumpkin Ale is one of the best damn gourd beers that I've ever had. Thanks jpm30. (1,877 characters)

This beer transcends being a "pumpkin ale". I think most people might not take a pumpkin beer seriously as a beer style, but this one is a world class beer. Period. 8% abv is masked in an expert fashion, you got a perfect blend of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin. As it warms it doesn't get offensive with its taste. The alcohol is still masked and the flavors still shine. Add it towards the top of my beer ranking list that's for sure.

If you can get your hands on it, do so! It is a much better value than Pumking. You can get a 6 pack for about $11. (559 characters)

Pour/Appearance: A reddish hue with a deep copper when held to light. Minimal head that frothed a bit immediately after the pour and quickly spread to the edges only. Full lacing disappears in a few seconds.

Smell: Like face planting in a homemade pumpkin pie. Nutmeg and other spices. Some grassy hops.

Mouthfeel: Sharp carbonation and relatively light on the palette with a dry finish.

Taste: Slightly bitter from the earthy hops smelled, but the most noticeable is the pumpkin and cinnamon/nutmeg spices.

Overall: As ready as I was for a good seasonal ale, I was still pleasantly surprised by this selection. The brewer has done an excellent job bringing out robust pumpkin flavor without crafting something overpowering or too bitter. I'm glad I purchased this in a 6-pack and might well be back for more. (813 characters)